PNP, Army officials expand joint Maguindanao del Sur security operationsGen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., chief of the Philippine National Police, participated in the joint police-military security dialogue in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur on Thursday, April 2, 2026. COTABATO CITY, Philippines — The police and military shall expand cooperation in maintaining law and order in the troubled Shariff Aguak town in Maguindanao del Sur and nearby areas, beset with security concerns that municipal officials can hardly address despite the powers vested in them by the Local Government Code. Five policemen were killed while three others were wounded in an ambush on Saturday night near the Camp Akilan in Shariff Aguak, where the Maguindanao del Sur Provincial Police Office (MSPPO) is located. The newly-installed Maguindanao del Sur police director, Col. Michael John Mangahis, Gen. Jaysen De Guzman, director of the Police Regional Office, Brig. Shariff Aguak is one of 24 towns in the hostile Maguindanao del Sur province in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Source: Philippine Star April 03, 2026 08:33 UTC